August 25th, 2025
Dear Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) Digital,
We are writing in response to your article titled First Lady Rachael Ruto calls for laws to address rising autism cases. We thank the First lady of Kenya, Mama Rachel Ruto, for highlighting the need for laws and policies to support children with autism and their families within the county. As noted in your article, the current prevalence of autism according to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2023) is 1 in 100 children, emphasizing the urgent need for systematically embedded support for individuals and families impacted by autism.
Additionally, the First Lady’s suggestion to provide specialized education for children with autism in the existing classroom infrastructure reflects a thoughtful and pragmatic approach, which increases access to individualized education and also serves as a significant step towards inclusion and decreasing the possibility of discrimination. Further, efforts to create a legal framework through the enactment of policy will help curb the use of pseudoscience and increase the use of evidence-based interventions for the education and treatment of children with autism.
We also appreciate how your article highlights how children with disabilities, including autism, have a legal right to education. We agree that collaboration is essential in the enactment of laws and policies that prioritize the education and treatment opportunities available to children with disabilities. Laws that guarantee the right to education hold great potential for improving the overall quality of life for children with autism and their families, and we appreciate your emphasis on this important issue within your article.
Sincerely,
Cecilia Wayua, MSc, ASAT Extern
Reva Mathieu, EdD, BCBA
Association for Science in Autism Treatment
